Sringeri July 2015

• Weekend trip
• Onward: Talaguppa express (16227) from Majestic (SBC) - Pf 9 - AC coaches get added at Bangalore - in the front - next to engine. Reaches Shimoga town (SMET) at around 4:50AM.
• We had booked a taxi from Sringeri - You can call Sudhakar at +91 94487 23382 if you want to book. Good guy. Understands Kannada and Tamil (potentially English and Hindi too, I did not try). Cost (at the time of this writing) is Rs.2250 for pick-up.
• For staying at Mutt rooms, check in main reception (the driver will take you there).
• Lunch and dinner were had at the Mutt. For breakfast and evening tiffin, we frequented Hotel Maruti. This has been there for the last 20 years (second generation family that I am seeing that is running it). Restricted menu items, but guaranteed not to affect your stomach.
• We did a Hornadu visit from Sringeri and back. Takes 2 hours to get there and 2 hours back. And about an hour for darshan. We took the same cab. Rs.2250 (almost same distance).
• Return was also using the same cab (Rs. 2250). Though the train is at 10:30PM, we were advised to leave around 6PM so that we can come to Shimoga around 8PM. Dinner places are open (and relatively less crowded at this time). We had dinner at the Mathura Paradise. Decent vegetarian North Indian food.
• Return train is Talaguppa-Bangalore express (16228). Comes in at Pf 2. Comes in mostly bang on time. AC coaches come coupled. Train stops only for about 5 minutes.
• Arrives in Bangalore at an unearthly hour at 4:25AM (apparently some times even earlier).